Overview

To most software developers, the areas of project management and systems development methodologies are related only loosely. Systems development methodologies provide general information about standards and practices; project management is concerned with budgeting and reporting of project activity cost and time.

Automated tools to support project management and systems development methodologies have evolved separately. However, it has become apparent that the two areas need to be unified into a single discipline of process management that has a single underlying metamodel. This chapter provides the rationale for unifying systems development methodologies and project management and describes one type of process management metamodel as well as an approach to its automation.

Process management has much in common with business process reengineering. Organizations that have adopted process management are applying the principles of business process reengineering to application development. In this chapter, process management is defined as the unification of methodology with project management.

What you need to know about… Project Management Made Easy! Project management consists of more than just a large building project and can encompass small projects as well. No matter what the size of your project, you need to have some sort of project management. How you manage your project has everything to do with its outcome.